We tailor every marketing campaign to a customer’s requirements and we have access to quality marketing tools such as professional photography, video walk-throughs, drone video footage, distinctive floorplans which brings a property to life, right off of the screen.
THE SCHOOL HOUSE – AN EXTRAORDINARY VILLAGE HOME WHERE 1871 CHARACTER MEETS 21ST-CENTURY COUNTRY LIVING
Some homes are defined by their architecture. Others by their setting. The School House has the rare advantage of both.
Dating from 1871 and standing proudly within the picturesque village of Upleatham, this remarkable Grade II Listed former school house has been transformed into a wonderfully individual country home. Behind its handsome period façade lies beautifully considered contemporary living, fabulous spaces for entertaining and an outlook that stretches across open countryside.
This is not simply a house that has been modernised. In 2022, The School House was taken back to its shell and comprehensively refurbished, including rewiring and replumbing, creating a home that respects its Victorian origins while embracing the way we want to live today.
And then there are the gardens and those views. From the Orangery and kitchen to the elevated terrace, bedrooms and even the landing window seat, the surrounding landscape is woven into everyday life here.
WHY YOU'LL LOVE THIS HOME
• Remarkable Grade II Listed former school house dating from 1871
• Comprehensive refurbishment completed in 2022, including rewiring and replumbing
• Spectacular Laura Ashley kitchen / dining area created for cooking, gathering and entertaining
• Beautiful Orangery with roof lantern and panoramic countryside outlook
• Elegant living room with original working open fire
• Family Room / Home Office providing a superb second reception space
• Impressive Principal Bedroom Suite with luxurious statement en-suite
• Dedicated Sauna / Wet Room offering the flexibility to revert to Bedroom Four
• Landscaped tiered gardens with pond, waterfall and Elevated Panoramic Terrace
• Garden Retreat / Bar, garage and off-road parking
A HOME WITH A STORY
The School House has the presence you would hope for from a building of its heritage. Original windows remain across the front elevation, while inside, decorative plasterwork, sash windows, generous proportions and the original working open fire provide constant reminders of its past.
But this isn't a period home preserved in time.
The extensive 2022 refurbishment has allowed old and new to sit comfortably alongside one another. Quality flooring, underfloor heating to key areas, beautifully appointed bathrooms and carefully chosen finishes bring a contemporary edge, while the individual character that makes The School House special has been allowed to shine through.
The result feels wonderfully grown-up, confident and, importantly, completely individual.
THE HEART OF THE SCHOOL HOUSE
If ever there were a kitchen designed to bring people together, this is it.
The spectacular kitchen / dining area is a genuine showpiece, combining beautiful Laura Ashley in-frame cabinetry with two substantial islands to create a space that works just as well for everyday family life as it does with a house full of guests.
The specification is equally impressive, incorporating Neff appliances, Smeg American-style fridge / freezer, Franke cooker hood and dual Belfast sink, while a window seat provides another lovely reminder of the building's character.
Yet for all the quality of the cabinetry and appliances, it is the sheer sociability of the room that gives it its appeal. There is space to cook, gather, dine and entertain without ever feeling formal.
Flowing naturally from here is the Butler's Kitchen / Utility, beautifully fitted with complementary Laura Ashley cabinetry and providing the storage and practical working space that allows the main kitchen to remain exactly as it should be.
ROOMS TO LIVE IN, NOT SIMPLY LOOK AT
The living room changes the mood completely.
Elegant and characterful, its original working open fire forms a natural focal point, complemented by decorative ceiling detail and original sash windows. It's a room that feels equally suited to a quiet winter evening by the fire or drinks before dinner.
The separate Family Room / Home Office gives the house another valuable dimension — a generous and adaptable room that could become a more informal sitting room, study or work-from-home space depending upon the needs of its next owner.
And then comes one of our favourite rooms in the house.
THE ORANGERY
With its roof lantern, extensive glazing and huge panoramic window, the Orangery has been designed around one thing above all else: the view.
The garden falls away beyond the glass before giving way to rolling countryside, creating an ever-changing backdrop to the room. Morning coffee, an afternoon with a book or an evening watching the light disappear across the landscape — this is somewhere that encourages you to slow down.
Underfloor heating allows the room to be enjoyed throughout the seasons, while remote-controlled electric blinds provide practicality when required.
Most importantly, the Orangery doesn't feel disconnected from the rest of the house. It forms part of the living accommodation while creating an effortless transition between inside and out.
UPSTAIRS, THE CHARACTER CONTINUES
The first floor feels every bit as considered as the rooms below.
The Principal Bedroom Suite is particularly impressive, a beautifully proportioned room complemented by extensive Laura Ashley fitted furniture, including illuminated wardrobes, dressing furniture, drawers and bedside units. With windows to both the front and rear, it is a wonderfully light space with all the presence you would expect from the principal bedroom of a home of this calibre.
And its en-suite is anything but ordinary.
Beautifully individual in its design, the Principal En-Suite features a striking freestanding copper and nickel bath with brass fittings, separate shower enclosure, Burlington sanitaryware and an elegant vanity arrangement. It's bold, luxurious and completely in keeping with the personality found throughout The School House.
The remaining bedrooms continue the generous proportions and character of the house, including a dual-aspect bedroom with its own rear window seat and another beautifully presented double bedroom with fitted furniture.
Then comes one of The School House's most unusual luxuries.
What was originally the fourth bedroom has been transformed into a dedicated Sauna / Wet Room, creating a private wellness space complete with sauna, glazed walk-in shower area, tiled seating and rainfall shower.
For those who love the idea, it is a fabulous indulgence rarely encountered in a home of this character. For buyers requiring four conventional bedrooms, the room offers the flexibility to be returned to bedroom accommodation.
A separate family bathroom completes the first-floor accommodation, while even the landing refuses to be ordinary. A window seat beside the rear window creates a quiet spot from which to stop and take in yet another view across the countryside.
AND THEN YOU OPEN THE DOORS...
The relationship between house and garden is one of the things that makes The School House so memorable.
Immediately behind the house, an Elevated Panoramic Terrace creates an outstanding outdoor extension of the living accommodation. Stone paving and glass balustrading allow the view to remain the star of the show, with countryside stretching away beyond the garden.
It's easy to imagine long lunches here, summer evenings with friends or simply sitting with a drink as the landscape changes with the seasons.
And importantly, the garden doesn't end at the terrace.
A GARDEN TO EXPLORE
From the elevated terrace, steps lead down through substantial landscaped tiered gardens, creating a series of distinct areas rather than one conventional expanse of lawn.
Established planting and lawns sit alongside patios and seating areas, while a large pond with waterfall feature brings another dimension to the garden.
Continue through the grounds and eventually you arrive at the Garden Retreat / Bar, constructed in 2022.
It is exactly the sort of space that makes a garden memorable: informal, fun and removed enough from the main house to feel like a destination in its own right. Open the doors on a summer evening, stock the bar and suddenly the bottom of the garden becomes the place everybody gravitates towards.
There is also useful storage beneath the elevated terrace, with plumbing and electricity already present and further potential subject to any necessary consents and approvals.
THE DETAILS MATTER
The quality of the refurbishment becomes apparent in the details.
Karndean LVT flooring has been used through the rear hall / Butler's Kitchen / Utility, cloakroom, kitchen / dining area, living room and Principal En-Suite, with tiled flooring to other key areas.
Underfloor heating serves the entrance hallway, rear hall / Butler's Kitchen / Utility, kitchen / dining area and Orangery.
The property benefits from oil-fired central heating with a 1,400-litre oil tank situated within the garden, while the existing blinds and curtains are included within the sale.
The garage is currently used primarily for storage and is accessed via double timber doors. The existing opening has been reduced in width, although there is scope to reinstate wider garage doors should a future owner wish to return it to conventional vehicle use. The garage also houses the Worcester oil boiler and hot water cylinder, with stairs leading to a generous upper-level loft space.
LIFE IN UPLEATHAM
For all its individuality, The School House isn't isolated from everyday life.
Upleatham provides the peace and atmosphere of a small country village while sitting conveniently between Guisborough and Saltburn-by-the-Sea, giving its residents the unusual luxury of having countryside and coast close at hand while remaining within easy reach of shops, schools, restaurants and everyday amenities.
It is this balance that makes the setting so appealing: come home to a village and countryside outlook without having to disappear miles from civilisation to achieve it.
MORE THAN THE SUM OF ITS PARTS
It would be easy to describe The School House simply by listing what it contains: four-bedroom flexibility, beautiful reception rooms, an extraordinary kitchen, Orangery, statement en-suite, Sauna / Wet Room, terrace, garage and extensive gardens.
But that misses what makes it special.
It's the morning light through the Orangery. The fire burning in the living room on a winter evening. Friends gathered around the kitchen islands. Sitting on the terrace looking across the countryside. Wandering down through the garden to the bar on a summer night.
It is a home with history, but one that has been created very deliberately for life today.
The School House is individual, beautifully finished and quite unlike anything ordinary.
Viewing is essential to properly experience the house, gardens and remarkable setting.
MEASUREMENTS SHOWN ON FLOORPLANS
MORTGAGE ADVICE
Selectiv works in association with Mortgage Advice Bureau to provide access to expert mortgage advice. Whether you're moving home, remortgaging or purchasing an additional property, their advisers can search thousands of mortgage products from a wide range of lenders to help find a mortgage suited to your circumstances.
Your home may be repossessed if you do not keep up repayments on your mortgage.
AGENTS' NOTES
All measurements are approximate and provided for guidance only. These particulars do not constitute any part of an offer or contract. Selectiv has not tested any services, systems, appliances or equipment referred to within these particulars and purchasers are advised to satisfy themselves as to their condition and suitability.
Photographs are intended to provide a general representation of the property and may include digital enhancement or dressing.
Where reference is made to the potential alternative use or alteration of any part of the property, purchasers should make their own enquiries regarding any planning permission, Listed Building Consent, Building Regulations approval or other consents that may be required.
ANTI-MONEY LAUNDERING
In accordance with anti-money laundering regulations, successful purchasers will be required to complete an identity verification check carried out by a third-party provider. This is an identity check and not a credit check. A fee of ÂŁ35 including VAT per purchaser is payable prior to the issue of the Memorandum of Sale and is non-refundable.
